- Author
- Caroline Bonckaert, Charlotte Brosse, Tamara Vandersmissen, Nermin Caliskan, Ellen Buys, Ilias Chantziaras (UGent) and Dominiek Maes (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- Sow mortality is a critical issue in intensive pig farming, impacting animal welfare, farm sustainability, and profitability. This study investigated the occurrence and causes of sow mortality on 15 Flemish sow farms, focusing on management practices, housing conditions, feeding strategies, and genetics. The average sow mortality rate across the farms was 11.4% in 2022, which decreased to 8.1% in 2023 following the implementation of targeted control measures. Necropsies performed on 100 deceased sows, coming from the 15 different farms, revealed that the primary causes of mortality were positional changes in internal organs (32%), arthritis (19%), and urogenital disorders (7%). Key recommendations to reduce sow mortality included optimizing sow health and body condition, improving housing and feeding management, and addressing genetic factors. The study highlights the multifaceted nature of sow mortality and the importance of a comprehensive approach to mitigate risks and improve sow welfare and productivity.
- Keywords
- sow mortality, genetics, nutrition, management, necropsy, pig farming, RISK-FACTORS, IMPACT
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01K1X7JX320AADYGQ5XCQTF10Z
- MLA
- Bonckaert, Caroline, et al. “Field Study on Sow Mortality in 15 Belgian Pig Farms.” VETERINARY SCIENCES, vol. 12, no. 7, 2025, doi:10.3390/vetsci12070603.
- APA
- Bonckaert, C., Brosse, C., Vandersmissen, T., Caliskan, N., Buys, E., Chantziaras, I., & Maes, D. (2025). Field study on sow mortality in 15 Belgian pig farms. VETERINARY SCIENCES, 12(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12070603
- Chicago author-date
- Bonckaert, Caroline, Charlotte Brosse, Tamara Vandersmissen, Nermin Caliskan, Ellen Buys, Ilias Chantziaras, and Dominiek Maes. 2025. “Field Study on Sow Mortality in 15 Belgian Pig Farms.” VETERINARY SCIENCES 12 (7). https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12070603.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Bonckaert, Caroline, Charlotte Brosse, Tamara Vandersmissen, Nermin Caliskan, Ellen Buys, Ilias Chantziaras, and Dominiek Maes. 2025. “Field Study on Sow Mortality in 15 Belgian Pig Farms.” VETERINARY SCIENCES 12 (7). doi:10.3390/vetsci12070603.
- Vancouver
- 1.Bonckaert C, Brosse C, Vandersmissen T, Caliskan N, Buys E, Chantziaras I, et al. Field study on sow mortality in 15 Belgian pig farms. VETERINARY SCIENCES. 2025;12(7).
- IEEE
- [1]C. Bonckaert et al., “Field study on sow mortality in 15 Belgian pig farms,” VETERINARY SCIENCES, vol. 12, no. 7, 2025.
@article{01K1X7JX320AADYGQ5XCQTF10Z,
abstract = {{Sow mortality is a critical issue in intensive pig farming, impacting animal welfare, farm sustainability, and profitability. This study investigated the occurrence and causes of sow mortality on 15 Flemish sow farms, focusing on management practices, housing conditions, feeding strategies, and genetics. The average sow mortality rate across the farms was 11.4% in 2022, which decreased to 8.1% in 2023 following the implementation of targeted control measures. Necropsies performed on 100 deceased sows, coming from the 15 different farms, revealed that the primary causes of mortality were positional changes in internal organs (32%), arthritis (19%), and urogenital disorders (7%). Key recommendations to reduce sow mortality included optimizing sow health and body condition, improving housing and feeding management, and addressing genetic factors. The study highlights the multifaceted nature of sow mortality and the importance of a comprehensive approach to mitigate risks and improve sow welfare and productivity.}},
articleno = {{603}},
author = {{Bonckaert, Caroline and Brosse, Charlotte and Vandersmissen, Tamara and Caliskan, Nermin and Buys, Ellen and Chantziaras, Ilias and Maes, Dominiek}},
issn = {{2306-7381}},
journal = {{VETERINARY SCIENCES}},
keywords = {{sow mortality,genetics,nutrition,management,necropsy,pig farming,RISK-FACTORS,IMPACT}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{7}},
pages = {{17}},
title = {{Field study on sow mortality in 15 Belgian pig farms}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12070603}},
volume = {{12}},
year = {{2025}},
}
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